Through its publications, INSS provides rigorous, forward‑looking research and analysis on critical national security issues that support the joint warfighter and inform Department of War decision‑makers.
Aug. 3, 2026
Don Quixote as Morality Play: Lessons for Warfighter Identity and Ethos
Professional Military Education (PME) has long been anchored in the canonical insights of Clausewitz and Sun Tzu, foundational thinkers whose frameworks continue to inform an understanding of strategy and operational engagement. In their latest Open Journal of Philosophy article, Dr. Elise Annett and Dr. James Giordano contend that Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote offers a profound and unconventional lens for PME pedagogy and leader development, particularly when regarded as a meditation on identity, virtue, and the tension between ideals and lived realities.
March 11, 2026
Precision in Words, Precision in Warfare: Terminology and Control in Military Discourse on Unmanned Systems
Unmanned vehicular systems (UVS) spanning aerial, maritime, terrestrial, and sub-surface domains have become integral to intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), logistics, strike operations, and electronic warfare. Yet despite the increasing ubiquity and sophistication of these technologies, discourse surrounding their capabilities can be undermined by imprecise terminology that conflates the terms automatic, remote, and autonomous in policy, technical, operational, strategic and policy briefings and planning.
June 28, 2021
Toward Nuclear and WMD Fluency in Professional Military Education
This article is one of the first products of CSWMD’s first WMD Educators Forum, which provided a venue for dialog and served as an accelerator for teaching methods and learning outcomes for WMD across the DoD. The article draws on recent experience in creating benchmarks for education on nuclear capabilities and concepts, and suggests how this can be done for other critical aspects of the WMD challenge.